Abstract: | Force Determination in Stay Cables by Means of Vibration Measurements The knowledge of the actual tensile forces in the cables in the ropes or cables of cable‐stayed bridges or in external tendons is required for the examination and assessment of these elements. The determination of these forces by lift‐off tests with hydraulic jacks is connected with considerable expenditures as well as the danger of damages. But also the accuracies achieved by vibration measurements were, however, not satisfying. For high cable forces and short cables in some cases errors of up to ± 10% of the actual cable force could be determined. Therefore fast and non‐destructive methods for the determination of the forces are required. In this paper, a practicable technology to determine the cable force by means of vibration measurements is illustrated at the Viennese cable stayed bridge crossing the Vienna Donaukanal. |